A bill before Uganda's parliament that proposes sweeping controls over "foreign funding" and political activity threatens fundamental rights and could be used to shut down civil society, Human Rights Watch said today. The bill emulates laws adopted in recent years by other rights-abusing governments, which have been deemed to violate international law.
On April 15, 2026, Internal Affairs State Minister David Muhoozi introduced the Protection of Sovereignty Bill of 2026 before parliament for its first reading. The bill proposes criminalizing vaguely defined activities that promote the "interests of a foreigner against the interests of Uganda." The bill is part of a broader campaign by the Ugandan government to clamp down on free expression and peaceful assembly, that has included arresting and bringing criminal charges against political opponents and their supporters, as well as other critics of government officials.
"The Protection of Sovereignty Bill is the latest example of the government's efforts to stifle dissent and inhibit political or social organizing and participation," said Oryem Nyeko, senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. "The proposed bill copies a repressive tool used by other abusive governments to crush exercise of rights and stigmatize human rights defenders, independent media and other dissenting voices."
The public has been given until April 24 to submit comments while two parliamentary committees consider and make recommendations before the full parliament will vote on it.
The bill contains several broad provisions that prohibit a foreign agent from promoting "the interests of foreigners." Foreigners are defined to include Ugandan citizens living outside the country. "Promoting" is vaguely defined to include carrying out activities "related to the implementation of Government policy," and receiving money to organize or organizing meetings about foreign policy. Violators can be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison, a fine, or both.
Foreign agents accused of influencing "the will and consent" of Ugandans participating in elections, or receiving money from a foreigner without written approval from the government may face up to 20 years' imprisonment.
The bill proposes burdensome requirements to act as a foreign agent and would require as yet undefined reporting. It would also allow the Internal Affairs Ministry to arbitrarily inspect an agent's "premises" without a court order.
The law also would also prohibit engaging or participating in "unlawful" demonstrations or assembly, an overly broad interference in the right to freedom of assembly that would violate Uganda's obligations under international law.
The provisions of the bill would compound several legislative and policy measures that already undermine and restrict the work of civil society, human rights defenders, and other independent institutions, Human Rights Watch said.
The 2016 Non-Governmental Organisations Act gives the government broad powers to suspend, blacklist, or revoke organizations' licenses, and provides for excessive punitive measures for staff. On January 12, days before Uganda's national elections, the government ordered at least 10 nongovernmental organizations to cease their operations indefinitely. In March, the government froze their bank accounts as it "conducts investigations." Directors of some of the groups told the media that they were not informed of the reasons.
Under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights (Banjul Charter) both of which Uganda has ratified, laws may only limit the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of association when necessary to achieve a narrow range of legitimate goals, such as to protect national security or the rights of others. Any restrictions must be proportionate to the interest to be protected and they must be the least intrusive measures capable of achieving the desired aim. The provisions in Sovereignty Bill blatantly fail this test, Human Rights Watch said.
The bill draws on similar laws passed in Russia and allied countries that are used to try to shut down civil society, and which the UN Human Rights Committee, which oversees compliance with the ICCPR, and the European Court of Human Rights have declared violate international human rights law. These bodies have made clear that these laws are no more than a fig leaf to mask efforts to prevent exercise of fundamental rights and protect those in power from scrutiny or being held accountable.
"Civil society groups have a key role in the effective protection of human rights, rule of law and democratic institutions in any country," Nyeko said, "Uganda's parliament members should outright reject this effort to further stifle Ugandans' rights and focus their efforts on promoting and protecting the right to free association, alongside other fundamental civil and political rights."
